Miniature Qur'an and Qur'an Case

dated 963 AH/1555 CE

Not on view

This complete octagonal miniature Qur'an is an early example from the Safavid period, produced in Herat. The colophon states the place and date of production as well as the name of the scribe. A major center for Qur'an production in the previous century, by the mid‑sixteenth century, under the Safavids, Herat still boasted several exceptional calligraphers who followed the fifteenth‑century influential Timurid style. Miniature Qur’ans held an important and intimate function for the wearer and were used for personal devotion and protection. In the Ottoman Turkish world, octagonal miniature Qur’ans (‘sancak Qur’ans’), which functioned as amulets, encased in a box or fabric pouch, were tied to a military standard and carried to battle. This custom spread as far as India and Persia, where talismanic miniature Qur’ans were also tied to arm‑or wristbands or carried in one’s pocket, and generally worn close to the body.

Artwork Details

Overview

Signatures, Inscriptions, and Markings

Provenance

References

Title: Miniature Qur'an and Qur'an Case
Calligrapher: Muhammad Al-Qari (died 1605, Herat, present-day Afghanistan)
Date: dated 963 AH/1555 CE
Geography: Made in present-day Afghanistan, Herat
Medium: Qur'an: Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper
Qur'an case: Silver
Dimensions: Qur'an:
H. 1 in. (2.5 cm)
W. 1 11/16 in. (4.3 cm)
L. 1 11/16 in. (4.3 cm)
Case:
H. 1 1/16 in. (2.8 cm)
W. 1 7/8 in. (4.8 cm)
L. 1 7/8 in. (4.8 cm)
Classification: Codices
Credit Line: Purchase, Friends of Islamic Art Gifts, 2024
Object Number: 2024.392a, b
Curatorial Department: Islamic Art

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